Love & War
by Lurexia
Summary: He may not have known it, but they were drifting apart. She was no longer happy. He didn't pay attention to her. It didn't feel like he LOVED her anymore. But if he knew what it would lead to... "I plan to be a new country... and you'll be FOREIGN to me." (America x OC/Reader. Loosely based on American Civil War.)
1. Chapter 1

**And I'm back! Hi again, FanFiction! I (kinda/sorta/think I) missed you! Anyways, straight to the story here...**

**I wrote this story a long time ago (probably about a year or so ago), but I never finished it. As I was looking through my stuff, I found it, and figured "why not?" So, I decided to post it and try to finish it. Hopefully I will, and hopefully you guys will enjoy reading it.**

**Alright, so this is a Reader/OC x America fic, so enjoy and happy reading~**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Frustration._

_Sadness._

_Confusion._

_HURT._

All of these feelings were now flowing inside you, swirling and jumbling every thing inside of your head. You sat there and stared at your bedroom wall, trying to relax yourself, even if it was for just a few minutes. But your try was all in vain, for just a few seconds later, you found your thoughts unwillingly shifting back to _him_.

_Why? _Why would he do all of these things to you? And _when_? When did it slowly start to grow into something this big? When did the two of you slowly start to drift _apart_? And to think, it wasn't that long ago that everything started to go wrong.

He started to get up early in the morning, just to disappear off to his war meetings. You could understand _that_, you really could, but that wasn't all of it. You noticed that he had been ignoring you, due to "troubles with foreign affairs", but this was happening for _far _too long. He also started shoving orders in your face, saying to obey or he would "use military force". You couldn't _believe _the nerve he had to say that to _you_!

But... He wasn't _always _like that. Before all of this started to happen, he was actually very sweet. Everyday, he would take some time off of his busy schedule just to spend some time with you. He would randomly give you presents, miraculously on the days you were feeling down. When the two of you ate dinner together, he would even let you choose whatever you wanted! (But he looked so pained when he said it that you just gave in and ate hamburgers together.) All in all, he made you feel... _special_. You were glad that he was yours and you were his. You weren't afraid to say that you _loved _him.

But _now_... You weren't so sure about that. You tried everything to fix it, but he wouldn't even _listen_ to you! He treated you almost like a slave, controlling your every move and being completely unreasonable about it. You were _supposed _to be his partner, a life-long companion, but instead, you were more like his _maid_.

You just couldn't take it anymore! You had been thinking about this for a long time now, and you came to a decision. You rose up, donned your officer's coat, and stormed out of your room. This was it. Today was the day. You were going to do it, no matter how much it pained you (and him) to do so.

_You were going to secede from America._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Alfred," you called out. "Alfred!"

You were following him down the long corridor, trying to catch his attention. He was walking at a fast pace, and you almost had to jog just to catch up to him! But it was a good thing that the corridor was empty: that meant no distractions. Doesn't mean that he was actually paying attention to you, though.

"Um, I'm kinda busy right now, Lexa, with Lincoln becoming president and all," he said, his face buried in some papers he was looking through. "Let's talk later."

_See?_ This is _exactly _what you were talking about! To him, _everything _was more important than _you_! _But_, you weren't giving up now! He had to hear this from _you_, _not_ anyone else.

"But Alfred, I need to talk to you _now_," you said, still trying to keep up with him.

"I said I'm busy right now! I'm sure it can wait till later," he said, not slowing down his pace.

"It can't wait 'til later! It's really important, Alfred!"

"What I'm working on is really important, too."

"But-!"

"Forget it, Lexa. I've gotta go now."

He kept walking, not looking back even just once. You stopped walking, tears threatening to fall from your eyes. Finally, you just decided to say it. You clenched your fists and shouted at him:

"I'm... I'm seceding from you!"

_This_ finally got his attention. He stopped dead in his tracks, processing what you had just said.

"Wha... What did you say...?" he said slowly, almost whispering.

You gulped. "I said... I'm seceding from you, Alfred."

After a moment, he quickly turned around and started to walk slowly towards you, the papers that were in his hands already forgotten on the floor. Once he was just a foot away from you, he stopped, his eyes examining you, as if the you right now, wearing a officer's coat and a look of determination, wasn't real.

"Wha... What do you mean?" he said, as if he didn't understand any of this.

You, on the other hand, even if this was hurting you, had confidence. Right now, you had his _full_ attention, and you knew that he wasn't going to ignore you anymore now.

"I mean what I say! I'm seceding from you! I can't take this anymore!"

"What are you talking about, Lexa?" he said, reaching out a hand to touch your face, as if in comfort.

You swiftly hit the hand away and gave a cold look, leaving him a bit stunned. Right now, there was _nothing_ he could do to convince you otherwise.

"Don't act like you don't know! I've notice how you've been treating me lately, and I'm completely sick of it! I've tried reasoning with you, but you've ignored everything I tried!"

He knew what you were talking about, you guessed, because he wore a mixed look of disbelief and guilt.

"Now w-wait a minute here, Lexa. I'm sure we can find some kind of compro-"

"_No_, Alfred! It's... It's too late now. I've spoken to my states, and they've decided, too. My South Carolina has already voted for secession, and it's only a matter of time before my other states do, too. In a few months, I plan to be a new country... and you'll be _foreign_ to me."

In all your life, you've _never _seen America look like this before. That look of desperation on his face... He's never looked so... _vulnerable_. It pained you to see him like this; it pained you to no end. But this was something that was inevitable; nothing could be done about this.

You walked over to him, who was on his knees, burying his face in his hands, sobbing. A sad look was on your face as you slightly tapped him, bringing his chin up to make his face meet yours. His eyes were overflowing with tears, but a tiny bit of hope was there, from your action. You felt like a _monster_, about to dim that light.

"...I'm sorry, Alfred. We... We're over."

You let go of his chin, and his head dropped down back to his hands. You turned around and walked away, only hearing the sounds of your shoes hitting the cold ground and America's silent sobs throughout the empty corridor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"...and by the end of all this, we'll be a new country! So fight on, brothers!"

You raised your fist in the air, looking as determined as ever. Everyone in the room raised their fists with you and cheered, the same look of determination on their faces, as well. As the room slowly cleared out, a middle-aged man came up to you, applauding and smiling at you.

"An amazing speech, ma'am," the leader of Alabama said. "Really got the public inspired, I'd say. I do believe that with your lead, we can win this war!"

Mumbles and nods of agreement came from the other state leaders. A slight, humorless smile came onto your face as you turned to them.

"I do hope so," you said. "This war won't be easy, but I plan to make it work. After all, our first battle is just a few days away."

_BANG, BANG, BANG_

"England! Open up!" he shouted. "Iggy!"

"Bloody hell, America," the angry Brit said as he opened his front door. "Stop banging on my door, w-"

Alfred, who had just recently run from his home, was now standing in front of England's front door, panting, sweating, and eyes red and puffy. Arthur, who had now taken in the appearance of his former colony, was shocked. He had never seen the man like this before!

"A-America, what's wrong?" Arthur said slowly. "Did something happen?"

He made way for America to step inside his home. He watched warily and worriedly as the other man walked in slowly, in some sort of a daze, slumped into the closest chair, and instantly put his head in his hands, his head shaking slowly.

"England...," America said, his voice pained. "She's... She's seceding from me, England..."

"...And the first person you thought to come to... was _me_? My _former COLONY_ first thought to come to _ME_?" he deadpanned.

"I had no one else to turn to!" he argued, his voice cracking slightly. "Plus, at least you have _some_ experience with things like this!"

England was about to go off, but once he realized that America was _really_ going through something, he stopped himself. He thought for a moment, then he sighed.

"...Alexandra is?"

The American dropped his head back into his hands, nodding slowly. Arthur slowly walked up to him and put his hand comfortingly on his shoulder, his eyes full of pity.

"Well, there's gotta be _some_ reason why she suddenly decided to do this. Do you know why?" he asked.

Alfred winced slightly. Of course he knew why; you were stating it all right in front of him! He didn't know which hurt more: the fact that you said those kinds of things to him, or the fact that he even let them happen.

"...She said that I wasn't paying any attention to her anymore. And that she couldn't take the way I've been treating her anymore," he said sadly.

"Has she tried to reason with you?"

The hole in his heart grew wider. "...I didn't listen to her."

The older nation sighed and shook his head disapprovingly. "With all that, now I'm _sure_ she won't change her mind. Heck, no one would!" _You sure didn't_, England thought to himself in bitter humor. "But..."

Arthur grabbed Alfred's shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. "I've one thing to tell you, and it's the only thing you really _can _do now."

His sky-blue eyes widened as America took in these next words:

_"Get ready for a brutal & bloody war. It'll be the most painful war you'll ever experience for a LONG time."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Battle at Fort Sumter

The wind was whipping through your hair. The cloud overhead cast a grim shadow over the large, stone pentagon. As you sat on your steed, you thought, and thought, and thought.

_'This is our first major battle...'_ you thought. _'I must be prepared and study the battlefield. Okay, so if this happens, I'll do this... Then if _that_ happens, I'll order this out... And then-'_

"The army is ready, Ma'am," a subordinate said to you, stopping your train of thought. "We're ready to charge at your mark."

"Yes, thank you," you said, turning your horse around.

You waved the man off and faced your army. All of them looked willing and ready to fight, thinking they were heroes. The cause they fought for was possibly one for a hero, but was the way they were handling it heroic at all...?

Shaking off that thought, you prepared yourself. Raising your hand over your head, you called the attention of your soldiers.

"Men!" you said. "Today marks the beginning of what will probably be a long and arduous war. But falter not! For if we fight as hard as we can and the best we can, we will be winners! Now, think of all the wrongs the Union has caused you, and..."

You turned around to once again to face Fort Sumter. Brief, painful memories of him flashed through your mind as you flicked your raised hand forward.

"_CHARGE_!"

In a flash, your soldiers rushed forward all around you, charging down the hill. The sound of all those horses galloping and men charging sounded like rolling thunder. It quite matched the gray, grim sky.

"_Hyah_!"

After a few minutes, you charged down the hill, as well. Hidden in between your soldiers, you rode strongly towards the fort. Once you arrived at the gate, you saw that your soldiers had already burst through. '_Good_,' you thought. Then you continued to ride into the heart of the fort.

* * *

'_My men..._,' you thought as you watched the battle raging all around you. '_Th-they're... They're winning...! Even if this isn't a great big opposing force, they're still winning!'_

A smile was starting to grow on your face until you noticed something. From a small back entrance, more soldiers were flooding in, looking more prepared than the ones that were already here. You weren't worried, though, because they were still handling themselves quite well, not faltering a bit.

Then, all of a sudden, you saw a tuft of that too-familiar golden-brown hair. Without giving it a second thought, you urged your horse back, putting some distance between the two of you. It wouldn't be good if the two of you saw each other now, and honestly, you weren't sure if you could handle seeing him again so soon. So you quickly dissolved into the ongoing battle.

* * *

"What? What do you mean we're losing?!" the blue-eyed man asked, astonished and baffled.

The lowly soldier flinched at the man's harsh tone. "W-we're running out of supplies, and we don't have enough forces, S-Sir... The Confederate Army is greatly outnumbering us now, and they have us up against the wall..."

The man cursed silently. "Damn it! They... They got us... Sh-She..."

He cursed once again. Then, he raised his head and faced his soldiers. "Men!" he said, his voice hesitant. "...Retreat..."

For a moment, his army and even the opposing army froze. They all stared wide-eyed at the supposedly-indomitable leader, especially a certain female officer. After a few, deathly silent moments, his men started to retreat. The Confederate Army did nothing to stop them; they just watched as the army flooded out of the fort. Their officer took one last look at the fort, one last look in the direction of _her_, and followed suit.

After the last men had retreated, the whole entire fort was silent for a moment. Then, cheers erupted from every last soldier. They yelled and hollered and gave each other high-fives. Gunshots were fired in the air, and the whole fort was filled with glee. Your subordinates around you were thanking you and congratulating you on a job well done when you finally realized:

You won. You _actually WON _a battle against the Union. ...You couldn't believe it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next battle, the First Battle of Bull Run/First Manassas, played out in a similar fashion. Your army fought with all their hearts, and with determination and perseverance, they won the battle. You were shocked you even won the first battle, and now you had won the second? It was unbelievable.

The following battles were also the same; you just seemed _unstoppable_. You knew it was all thanks to hard work, but every victory that came to you made you so happy. You didn't want it to go to your head, of course, but you couldn't help it. You were actually winning battles against _him_, against _Alfred_. You'd be lying if you said that your heart didn't feel the bittersweet joy of it all.

Tonight, you were to patrol the border and just see if all was calm. You hadn't heard of any of the Union soldiers doing dirty tricks and crossing the border "uninvited," so you weren't too worried about it.

You walked up and down the border, a gun strapped to your back and your feet doing a rhythmic march across the ground. So far, it was quiet and peaceful, so you expected the rest of the night to be so, as well. The moon's ray even lit up the trees in the surrounding forest so that it looked like they were glowing. If there wasn't a war hanging overhead, you would say that it was beautiful night tonight.

Suddenly, you heard a rustle from one of the bushes on the other side of the border, instantly gripping your gun and taking a stance. It was a short, quick sound, and it was most likely an animal, but you still kept your hand on your gun, just in case. After you straightened up, you continued walking for a few moments until you heard the sound again.

"Alright, who's there?" you called out, pointing your drawn gun in the direction of the bush. "I know you're there, so just show yourself."

You waited for a few seconds, and you were about to go towards them, but then a figure of a man stood up from the bush. He was walking towards you slowly with his hands raised up in defense. When he stepped into the light, you gasped and pointed your gun right back at his face, a scowl growing on your face.

"Alfred," you said. It wasn't a question; you were stating it, as if the man wasn't going to be him if you didn't say his name. "What are you doing here?"

"Please, Alexandra. I don't mean any harm," he pleaded, his hand still raised. "I just want to talk. Honest. You can even search me, if you want." He spun around slowly, showing that there was nothing visibly dangerous on him.

You eyed him suspiciously, then you reluctantly put your gun down, strapping it back onto your back. You turned to the side, crossing your arms and watching Alfred through the corner of your eye. "...What do you want?"

Alfred let his hand down and sighed. "I'll just cut to the chase... Lexa, I... I want to propose a truce."

You turned and stared wide-eyed at him. "WHAT?!"

He could sense your hostility and tried to calm you down. "Hold on, Lexa. I just think that it'd be best for _both_ of our sides to just stop fighting-"

"You mean you think it's best for _your_ side if _we_ just stop fighting?" you argued back angrily. "You just want to stop because my side is winning, isn't that it? If the situation was reversed, I bet you wouldn't hesitate to turn down _my_ offer of a truce!"

"No!" Alfred exclaimed. "Of course I wouldn't! I'm only proposing a truce because this war is taking a toll on _all_ of us, not just you or me. Please, don't you think this is enough-"

"No, I don't," you replied monotonously. "I won't stop just yet, Alfred. So there's no point in trying to convince me to make a truce now."

Alfred stared at you incredulously, utterly confused. "Wh-Why is it not enough? Why won't you just stop fighting? ...You were never into violence like this, Lexa."

"What do _you_ know?!" you said angrily. "Who knows, Alfred. You probably have forgotten everything about me already, since you didn't hesitate to forget about me before."

You couldn't help but cringe inwardly at the grief-stricken look on his face at those words. '_It's for the best..._,' you thought, trying to convince yourself that this was true. You turned around, not wanting to look at his face any longer. "...Just leave now, Alfred."

"But I-" He sounded like he was about to argue, but he just stopped and let out a sigh. "...Alright. I'll leave. But please, just think about it."

And with that, he turned to walk away. You could hear his footsteps getting farther and farther until they disappeared into the forest. Then, all you could hear was the wind whistling, the crickets chirping, and your own silent sobs.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"No... No! This can't be...!"

You couldn't believe it. All around you, your men were either dying or getting wounded, thankfully mostly the latter. Still, things weren't looking good for you. Your men were _losing_. After all those victories, they were actually _losing_! You wished you could come up with some order or plan to turn the tides, but... There was nothing you could do. However much it pained you to say it, you had to do it.

"Men!" you shouted, your voice almost cracking from your internal tears. "Men...

...

...

...

Retreat."

The next battles, unfortunately, turned out the same way. Your army was losing, and it wasn't a pretty sight. However, you still fought back your hardest, no matter what. You stayed up to plan out battle strategies, fought hard on the battlefield, and even took up patrols by yourself just to let the other men save their strength.

Tonight was one such patrol, back on the border between the North and the South. You were tired out from the constant fighting and lack of sleep, but you weren't stopping. You weren't going to let your men down; they were counting on you. Also, it still wasn't enough. The fighting just wasn't enough. But you scared to know when it would be.

Suddenly, you heard a rustle in the shadows, something uncommon in your nightly patrols. Ever ready and on high alert, you whipped out your gun and aimed it at where you heard the noise. "Who's there? Show yourself! I know someone's out there!" you shouted out. The noise just sounded too heavy to be a simple animal.

"I'll shoot if you don't show yourself. NOW." As if that was their trigger, the person came out of the shadows slowly, the same way they had done before. You didn't move an inch. "...Alfred."

"Lexa," he said back calmly. Unlike you, he looked, at least physically, well. Clean-shaven, fresh set of clothes, and well-rested. It contrasted greatly to how tired you looked and felt. It made you feel even worse.

"Again, I don't mean any harm." You studied Alfred's face long and hard, then you let your gun down, slowly strapping it back on you. He let out a sigh and cautiously walked closer to you, keeping his hands in sight at all times. "I just wanted to pr-"

"I already told you," you said, cutting him off. "I will NOT agree to a truce."

At this, Alfred's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "Why not? We could end this, Lexa! Peacefully end this! Your side doesn't need to lose any more men!"

"I'm not done yet!" you screamed back, your eyes slightly watering.

Alfred looked at you cautiously and slowly whispered. "Done doing what?"

You turned away, not wanting to show him the tears now streaming down your face. "I'm just not done with what I need to do, Alfred. I _still _need to- ...Never mind. You'll never understand. Just know that I will NOT stop until it's enough. But right now, it's not enough. ...So, please, j-just leave."

"Lexa... What are you-?"

"If you won't leave, I'll leave, then. Good-bye."

And with that, you left him, walking away and glad he couldn't see your overflowing tears and hear your heart-wrenching sobs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

A few days after your second encounter with Alfred, you and your men were preparing for another battle: the Battle of Appomattox Court House. Tension filled the air as you stood in your tent, putting on your officer's coat and strapping on your weapons. As you stared at yourself in the mirror, a look of determination was on your face. After a few deathly silent moments, you exited your tent and rallied your men.

* * *

At the battlefield, you waited on your mount as your men formed lines at the bottom of a hill. You could see and hear the Union army approaching from the opposite side, their uniform marching like the rolling of thunder. They halted after they were proper distance away from you, and all was quiet. Neither side made any move, and you were just counting the seconds in your head. Five, six, seven, eight... You continued doing so for what seemed like hours of silence. Then finally, the Union made their move.

You watched as one of your commanders ordered the front line to strike back. They all fought the enemy with vigor and will, but their lines was faltering much too quickly. The leader of one of your states, South Carolina, rode up next to you and noticed the slight worry on your face.

"May God watch over us," was all he said, his tone grim and tired. You were silent for a moment before you slowly replied.

"...May He watch over everyone."

* * *

As the battle waged on, you watched in horror as your men fell and many were injured. This war was causing so many devastating losses to everyone. You had lost battles before, so you knew how horrendous it felt like. But this... _This_ was different. Either you had lost too many battles already, or this particular battle seemed just too brutal. Either way, this battle seemed to tip the scales in your mind, and before you knew it, you were riding your horse towards the forest on the side of the field, towards the Union army... Towards _him_.

Trees were rushing past you, thorns were nipping at your skin, and the battle was still raging on in your peripheral vision. However, you didn't care. All your mind was set on was getting to him as fast as you could. As you clutched the knife strapped to your waist, you thought to yourself.

'_I need to go. I just need to get there. Apparently, this is what I have to do._

_ 'Apparently, this is _enough_.'_

* * *

"Quite unfortunate that they still just won't surrender, isn't it, Sir?" the leader of Illinois said to him.

The two men and the other leaders watched as their side fought and had the winning tide. However, none of them seemed happy at all. Their faces were grim with sadness, and they mostly kept silent.

"...I guess so," the other man replied, not in the mood to talk.

He was always like this during the battles. Quiet, serious, and most of all, _sad_. The battles caused him so much pain; he wished he didn't have to witness them. But he had no choice; he WAS their leader, after all. Most of the time, however, he just kept to himself, trying to keep his mind off of the battle.

This tactic didn't do him too well at the moment since he failed to notice the horse riding up to him. He failed to notice you on that horse, rushing towards him and clutching your knife with a death grip. And he failed to notice when you suddenly jumped onto him.

"Wha-?! L-Lexa?"

"S-Sir!"

The blue-eyed man and his companions stared wide-eyed at you as you hovered over him, pinning him to the ground and holding the knife over his chest. The other men moved to pull you off of their commander, but Alfred rose his hand, signaling them to stop. They were utterly confused at his action, but that was until they fully saw you.

You were shaking violently, but your grip on the knife was firm. You stared straight at Alfred's eyes, a piercing gaze that, under normal circumstances, would have made him shrink a bit in fear. And in that very piercing gaze... Tears started to form.

You dropped the knife to the side, sat up, and started to sob violently. You didn't care about all the eyes (most importantly, the deep-blue eyes) that were staring at you right now. All you were doing was crying your heart out.

It was the worst sobbing you've ever done, and that says a lot, considering how much you did during the battles. This time, you were sobbing heart-wrenching sobs, coughing violently, and even dry-heaving from the constant lack of air. Tears flowed down your face endlessly, and you tried in vain to wipe them from your face.

Alfred stared at you in shock for a moment, then he waved his men away (which they swiftly obliged to) and sat up in front of you. He stared at your shivering figure and lifted his hand up to try to wipe away some of your never-ending tears. When he received no response from you, he thought for a while, then, hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around you and held you.

You were shocked for a moment, but you were too busy crying to really react. So you just cried and cried as Alfred held you. He held you so tightly, as if he were to go, you would disappear from him once again.

When you had calmed down enough, you regained your breath and slowly parted from Alfred. He stared cautiously at you as you wiped away the rest of your tears from your face. Then, after endless moments of staring at each other...

You slapped him.

He was taken aback, but he didn't do anything. He stayed there, just watching your movements. You felt like you were going to cry again, so you sucked it up and tried to speak.

"I wanted to hurt you," you said, anger filling your voice. "That's what I meant when I said it wasn't enough. I still wanted to hurt you. _So_ bad. I wanted to use that knife on you and cause you pain. I wanted you to experience at least _little _of how much _I_ was hurt..." Then, you dropped your face in your hands, shaking your head slowly. "But I... I couldn't do it. That slap was the most I could bring myself to do to hurt you. ...Why? Why can't I do it? Am I really that weak? God, I hate myself right now..."

Alfred was shocked at your words, but then he just grabbed your hands with one hand, lifted your head up with the other, and stared into your eyes. "Don't. You're not weak, Lexa," he said. "I know why you couldn't hurt me like that. ...It's because you still love me."

At that, you quickly took back your hands from him, staring at him angrily and confusedly. "Wh-what? No, I don't!" you exclaimed. But then, you started to doubt yourself. "I-I can't! Y-You did those things to me! You ignored me, and treated me so badly. I was in so much pain... I-I hate you! I can't possibly forgive you!"

Alfred just took your hands back into his, staring at you seriously. "I know, Lexa. But you still couldn't use the knife on me, right?"

"Th-that's because..."

"Because you still love me, like I do you."

You stared, baffled at Alfred, and in turn, he let out a long sigh. "Listen," he said. "I know what I did now, and I'm so completely, sincerely sorry about it all. And I know no amount of apologies would ever be enough for your forgiveness. But please, I'm _begging _you, Lexa. Please, give me another chance. Just stop the fighting; I think you've done enough. ...And you caused me pain, anyway."

Your eyes widened, and Alfred look down sullenly. "You said you wished I could feel at least a little of the pain you felt? Then, you obviously don't know how I felt when you said you were seceding from me. ...It was the worst, most excruciating pain I've ever felt before. And all the battles that started... It killed me, Lexa. I stayed up all night, every night, just thinking about you. I tried to get out of every battle I could just so I could try to ease the pain I felt, but it was all in vain."

Alfred stared straight at your eyes, looking almost as if he was about to start crying, too. "...But I bet all you've gone through until now has caused you much more pain. So please, I asking you to stop fighting, not for me, but to stop causing _yourself_ pain."

You gasped and turned away. Alfred... Alfred was _right_. All this fighting and war has just caused you both so much pain. Although you wanted to cause _him_ pain, which you obviously did, all you were _really_ doing was continuously hurting _yourself_. "I was selfish, as well...," you confessed. "I wanted to cause you so much pain..."

"And you did. But Lexa, I would go through that and so much more of it just for a chance for your forgiveness." You turned to him and stared at him in surprise. "...I want to be with you again, Lexa."

Without warning, Alfred wrapped his arms around you, embracing you tightly and nestling his head on top of yours. "..._Please_," he whispered. "I need you by my side..."

At first, you just sat there, unmoving in his embrace. Then, after thinking long and hard about it all, you slowly wrapped your arms around him, hugging him after what seemed like forever. Alfred was shocked, but he wasted no time to fully revel in your return embrace.

"...Okay," you said, almost whispering. "Okay, Alfred. I'll give you another chance. ...Let's just stop fighting." The two of you parted, and you looked up at him seriously. "But I need you to promise me something, Alfred. ...I need you to start considering me more. Not a lot, just more-"

Before you could finish, Alfred quickly pulled in for another hug, this time much more tightly than the ones before. After a moment, he spoke up. "Lexa, ever since you left me, I've realized one thing... You are the _only_ thing I'll _ever _need to consider.

"And you are the _only_ one I'll ever _need_."

* * *

**And so it ends! I'm sorry if the story seemed a little rushed and/or short. It was originally going to be a one-shot, but I figured it would be too long. xD  
**

**Anyways, hoped you liked the story and had a good time reading it. Thank you!  
**


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